Fire and Ice
by clarathesoufflegirl
Summary: They are as different as they can be. She is fire, he is ice. In all sense, they should destroy each other. They are as different as the can be, but they work. This is a love story, a story of nature. This is their story. Modern AU one-shot.


_Some say the world will end in fire,_  
_Some say in ice._  
_From what I've tasted of desire_  
_I hold with those who favor fire._  
_But if it had to perish twice,_  
_I think I know enough of hate_  
_To say that for destruction ice_  
_Is also great_  
_And would suffice._

_~Fire and Ice, Robert Frost_

They meet for the first time at the theatre.

It's the annual film festival, a big event in a small town. She has an unhealthy obsession with old films; she's mesmerized by the grace and the style of has been coerced by his friends-"a break from studying for the LSATs," they said. "A guy's night out" Then they promptly ditched him.

The girl sits down in the middle, with the best view of the big screen. The boy hides in the back, and regrets it immediately. It is clearly the hangout spot for very... affectionate couples, and he gets uncomfortable.

The movie starts, and she is lost, captivated. She isn't watching the film, she's living it. Ingrid Bergman is standing _just there_; Humphrey Bogart is smiling at her, walking towards her. When the pianist plays their song, she melts. For a few hours, she escapes her life, and lives in the world of _Casablanca_. Then the lights turn on, the credits roll, and the spell is broken.

He rushes out of the theatre-in his haste, he doesn't notice the girl he nearly knocks over. It is not until he hears an indignant "hey!" that he turns around.

Dark brown hair tumbling down to her waist. Big, brown eyes, and caramel skin that positively glows, with a few sun-tanned freckles. Red lips turned down in a frown. She is the most gorgeous girl he has seen. He manages to stammer out a faint "I'm sorry", and her frown turns into a soft smile, making her all the more beautiful.

He is an angelic being with feminine features, and she can't help but notice that he might possibly be the most handsome guy she has ever seen, with curly blond hair just past his ears, a boyish grin, and sparkling blue eyes that she can't tear her gaze from.

There's a shout, and the boy finds his friends waving at him. He joins them, glancing back at the girl, who turns and disappears into the shadows like the embodiment of night.

* * *

They meet again at a party.

He's celebrating the end of year two of Law School; she's here as a lookout during her friend's drug deal. "Easy money," her friend had said. "I never get busted for these things anyway. "

It ends differently this time, and the girl is too caught up with the loud noise, the laughing, the dizziness in her head and the drugs in her hand to notice the sound of sirens. And when she does, it's a like a sudden shock and then it's all she can hear. She's weaving through the bodies, searching, praying for time, and manages to warn them. The entire place is in a frenzy, people leaving, screaming, and it's just chaos. The police are barging through the door, and it isn't until one of them looks at her that she remembers the little plastic bag full of drugs that she's clutching in her had. And the way he makes his way towards her, like a lion hunting its prey, like a predator trapping its catch, is enough to panic her.

Suddenly, a hand grabs her, and he tells he to run, and that's all she does. She's running, and her feet are pounding on the ground, and there's shouts from behind her but she can't look back. They catch their breath, and she thanks him, crying and gasping. They talk, and she finds out that his name is Enjolras and he's in law school so that he can defend and _win_ for the ones who can't afford it, and he learns that she's Éponine, an artist and singer down at the community college. He invites her to one of his speeches, and she accepts. She can't shake off the feeling that she knows him from somewhere, but she can't remember where.

They spend the rest of the night laughing, joking, painting a picture of youth and joy. It isn't until they part, when he says "Éponine, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", that she remembers. It's the guy from the theatre, but he's already gone.

* * *

It's at his meetings that she first sees Marius. There's this boyish look to him, something in his eyes that makes you trust him wholly and completely. She does. She trusts him with everything she has. She trusts him with her heart, and he breaks it. Shatters it into a million tiny pieces.

It's Enjolras that she goes running to. He's the best friend she could ask for. He doesn't understand, doesn't bother with love, but helps her through the aftermath anyways. It just makes him more determined not to fall in love. Them one night, they're fighting, and she's standing at the door, eyes blazing with a fiery passion. He's at the other end of the room, hand gripping his chairs, eyes cold and determined. Somehow, they lock eyes, and they're striding towards each other.

They meet in the middle;his lips press against her, smooth and firm; his arms wrap around her waist, bringing her a close as possible. It starts off sweet, slow, but turns into a frenzy. Their kisses turn rough, filled with need. Her hands tangle in his curls, and when they break apart, they're both gasping. It's the start of a beautiful relationship.

He is ice, carving through the world on his own. Cold and unforgiving, he stands tall and strong. He is winter; biting winds and no warmth. He is the truth, clear right through, waiting for someone to see him.

She is fire, bitter and angry; shaped by a harsh life and dangerous experiences. She's seen horrors that she can't speak about, not even to him. She's pain, heartbreak, and abuse, a girl drowning in a world of sorrow waiting for someone to pull her out, but she just sinks deeper. She is the night, silent and steady, always there, lurking, never loved; always second to the day. She's a fairytale, falling in love too hard, too fast, always waiting for her knight. She is alone-until one day, she isn't.

He pieces her broken heart together, puts it back into place. He encases it in ice, until it is whole. Fragile and hard, but whole. Slowly, he brings her fire back, rekindles the flame with twigs of love, sticks of kind words, and branches of faith. He fans it until it is hot enough to melt the ice, and now her heart is beating, strong and tough. With her fire, she melts his ice. comes closer, until he is stripped of his wall and she's left with a heart of gold, a boy only just beginning to learn of love.

They are fire and ice, and they will never part from each other,


End file.
